


Plus One

by SuperStitious18



Series: DarhkAtom + Family [5]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperStitious18/pseuds/SuperStitious18
Summary: It's time for the arrival of the newest Palmer baby, but something goes wrong along the way to a happy ending.





	Plus One

**Author's Note:**

> The second Palmer baby is finally here!  
> I hope you all enjoy!

Ray stood in the hallway holding a small bundle of navy blue, stunned, refusing to believe what just happened.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

_ It wasn’t until all of them had settled into the Bureau medbay to be checked out after the attack that Nora thought to mention the slight problem she had going on. She had finally gone into labour in the most Legends way possible, in the middle of them having to escape Time Pirates when they were supposed to be having a calm family dinner.  _

_ “Ray?” she called out to her fiance just as he finished getting a cut on his arm bandaged up, Nicole in his lap and clinging to him for dear life. The attack had scared the little girl with her not being used to themlike the Legends were. _

_ “Are you okay?” he asked, bringing Nicole over with him. “Dr. Maverick is coming in to check you over personally. She was swearing on the phone about how of course you got into a massive fight 8 months into your pregnancy.” Ray leaned down and kissed her temple, enjoying being close to his beloved. _

_ “Uh, yeah, I’m fine.” She looked a little antsy, making his concern skyrocket. “Except, I started having contractions on the jump ship. And I’m pretty sure my water just broke.” It seemed as if the whole medbay was stunned into silence, gawking at Nora.  _

_ Then it was a whirlwind of action, Nicole being passed off to Ava, the toddler now extremely thrilled at the prospect of meeting her baby brother today. The Legends cheered after them as Ray and Nora were moved to another, more private room to wait for their doctor to come in.  _

_ Ray was excited. He could not wait to meet their son. He knew baby Adam was healthy and real but he wouldn’t settle fully until he could hold him in his arms. “Are you excited?” he asked his fiancee. She looked beautiful, sweaty, and tired already but oh so beautiful.  _

_ “Scared. But yes, It’s been a long time coming.” She nuzzled her cheek into his palm, he had placed it there after brushing her hair out of her face. “Are you still okay with the name Adam?” _

_ “I love any name you want to give him.” _

_ “Well, I’m asking for your opinion, goober,” Nora hummed, pleased when he started lightly massaging her stomach with his other hand.  _

_ “I love it. Though I have to ask, where did you come up with Adam?”  _

_ He wasn’t prepared for her to look embarrassed. “Ah… I’ve sort of been… calling him Tiny Atom. Like, after your ATOM persona? Because I was hoping whoever they were, they’d be a tiny you.” That shy explanation made his heart swell ten times the size it had just been, he was so damn lucky. He was even luckier that he would be marrying this woman when Adam was just a little older, the two of them having decided that it would be worth it to wait for their dream wedding. _

_ “That is one of the cutest and the sweetest things I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m so lucky to be in love with you, Nora Darhk.” She smiled bashfully at that, gazing up at him adoringly until another contraction hit her. Ray helped her through it, having been preparing for this for months and remembering stuff from when Anna had Nicole. _

_ \------------------------------------------------------------- _

Ray clutched Adam just a little tighter to his chest. God, what would he tell Nicole? How would he tell his daughter, who already lost one mom, that she might not have Nora around anymore? Nicole idolized her, she loved Nora as if she had been around for her whole life instead of just over a year.

How would he tell the Legends? They all were a big family now. Especially Ava, Zari, and Nora. Those three were thick as thieves after Nora had been released from prison. Mona would take it hard too, she absolutely adored Nora and vice versa. Nora looked out for Mona, threatening anyone who so much as dared to think about harming her. Everyone else had become just as protective over Nora the closer they all grew, adopting her as a Legend.

How was he taking it? Not well. Not well at all, especially after that sound he had heard as they whisked away the love of his life to the operating room. It was unmistakable, it was horrible, and something he never thought he would have to hear in his lifetime with her. 

\------------------------------------------------------------

_ Adam was perfect. Nora was even more so than before to Ray, holding their son. And she had created and carried this small human for 8 months, he was honored to have been a part of this process of caring for Nora and helping make this little man. _

_ One of their main concerns, however, was that they had been worried that there might be complications due to Adam being born an entire month early, it seemed that Nora’s magic had had something to with the surprise eviction. He was small, yes, but Doctor Maverick had told them that he was healthy in every way that counted. _

_ That was all that mattered to them in the end. A clean bill of health. _

_ Ray couldn’t stop admiring their son. It looked like Adam would have his mother’s nose even though he had a lot of developing to do before they could really tell who he took after. It was nice though, he was here, he was someone they could physically hold and marvel over together.  _

_ “He smells so good?” Nora was worried that that would sound weird to Ray. It didn’t, that was one of his first thoughts when he first held Nicole, and now that he was gazing down at his fiancee and newborn. “He’s so small too, like I knew he’d be small but…” _

_ Ray got a good chuckle out of that. “I understand. It feels so surreal, doesn’t it?” _

_ “Very,” Nora agreed, bringing Adam up a little further to show him to Ray. “We made him.”  _

_ “We did! You did all the heavy lifting though. I’m so proud to be a father again, but I’m proud of you for doing all this. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for what you did.” Tears welled up in his eyes, he loved Nora so, so much, and was absolutely thrilled that she would get to be apart of his life and Nicole’s life for a long, long time.  _

_ “Sorry to interrupt this adorable family bonding moment.” Doctor Maverick’s voice stopped Nora from responding to the sappiness that was her future husband. “What are you two going to name the lil fella?” she asked. _

_ Nora answered, “Adam Carson Palmer. After his father.” She gazed adoringly up at Ray, and if she didn’t have an infant in her arms, she would be wiping away the happy tears coming down his cheeks. He didn’t have a baby to stop him from doing that for her. “I can’t think of a better person to name him after.” _

_ “Well, we could name him after you. I’m sure there is a good version of your name we could use…” _

_ “He’ll have the same last name that I will in a few months. That’s more than enough for me for the moment, but if our next child is a girl… We can talk.” _

_ “You barely had this one! And you’re already planning a second one?” Doctor Maverick looked bewildered, going unnoticed for the time being between the two lovebirds. “Gross.” She scrunched up her nose at their casual display of affection. _

_ “You’ve seen a lot worse,” Nora teased her. “But us being all lovey is where you draw the line?” _

_ “I can handle the “worse” things, you two being nauseatingly cute? Hard pass,” she joked, making her way around to check on Nora’s vitals up close. A frown crossed her face, something clearly bothering the woman. “I think Mr. Palmer should get a turn holding Adam, don’t you think?” Doctor Maverick changed the subject before they could notice her scribbling on the notepad she had brought with her.  _

_ Ray eagerly took Adam from Nora, cradling him gently in his arms and gazing in even more awe than before at this tiny life that was his son. “I didn’t think he could get anymore perfect.” Ray gently traced his features, unaware he was being watched. _

_ “You’re perfect too,” Nora told him, absolutely certain of her statement. “Oh my god, he looks even tinier in your arms. I want a picture of that.”  _

_ That was when everything went wrong. Nora was happy and smiling over their son one moment, the next she was gripped in a full blown seizure with the machines she was hooked up to going completely haywire. He’d leapt up in a panic, careful of Adam who was now crying, unsure of the loud noises and what exactly was going on. Ray didn’t know either, but he was so damn scared he was about to lose her. _

_ \----------------------------------------------------------------- _

That was when the doctors had whisked her away to the operating room, ready to work on neutralizing her magic and stabilizing her conditions. He followed, intent on making sure she would be okay with his own eyes when he heard that sound. It was the dreaded sound, one that made him freeze exactly where he was because it could only mean one thing.

Nora had flat lined. The love of his life and the mother of his children just died within earshot of him.

So Ray just stood in the hallway, holding his son, stunned, refusing to believe what just happened. He hadn't heard that right, had he? But he did, Ray knew all too well what that god awful sound meant, and he had heard it too often in his lifetime.

The first 20 minutes of waiting were the worst. He could feel his phone buzzing, no doubt the Legends, even his mother or brother trying to get his attention and find out the news on the newest Legend. But he was still unsure of what to say. ‘Yes, He’s here and healthy, but Nora could be dead?’ No, that’d just freak all of them out, it was freaking him out just thinking about it.

It was pushing the thirty minute mark when a nurse cautiously approached him about feeding Adam. His heart jumped up in his throat, Nora should be the one doing this. Not him. 

“Do you have family waiting for you in the waiting room?” the nurse asked him, looking sympathetic towards him. 

“Yeah, I, uh, we do. Our oldest daughter is out there with all of her aunts and uncles.” 

“Would you like me to update them or would you like to do it, Mr. Palmer?”

“I think I’d like to.”

“Of course. And if you don’t mind, may I take him?” Ray almost didn’t want to pass Adam over but he couldn’t take him outside this area and risk him getting sick. So, with great reluctance, he carefully passed over his son to the nurse. “I’ll make sure to keep you updated on how Ms. Darhk is doing, the doctors sounded hopeful. And the flatline noise you heard? Her magic accidentally fried the monitor. She had a good, strong heartbeat last I checked in.” 

That news caused him to perk up. He hadn’t heard her flatline, her heart was still beating. Meaning, she was alive and would come back to him. If the doctors who were trained to do things like this believed she’d have a good outcome, then he would hope the same. 

He refused to think otherwise at this rate, they had made a promise to each other to always come back to the other. Nora wasn’t going to leave him, not for a long, long time.

Now that he was out in the waiting room, he found all the Legends sitting on chairs, the floor, and each other in a couple of cases. Ray felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw that Nicole was sleeping against Nate’s chest. It was just what he needed, to see his family and get their support since he couldn’t run to Nora right now.

Sara spotted him first. “Hey!” she jumped off Ava’s lap, startling her and everyone else into a state of awareness. “How is everything? We’ve been trying to contact you both for updates.” Sara looked concerned as she took in his tired expression and guarded body language. 

Before he could answer, Nicole apparently had woken up and barrelled into his legs, excited about seeing her dad and her new baby brother. “Daddy!” She flashed him her signature dimpled grin, stretching upwards so he could pick her up. After he did, “Where’s mommy and the baby?”

He had to try and explain this now without freaking out Nicole or the Legends. “Adam is okay! I just couldn’t bring him past those double doors over there.” Ray pointed them out to her. “He’s gotta stay back there so the doctors and nurses can make sure he’s healthy.” Now how was he going to phrase how Nora was doing without scaring her? He wasn’t sure he could do that. “Mommy is… she’ll be okay.”

“What happened?” He was slightly startled by how ferocious Ava sounded, which he really shouldn’t have been because of how close the two were. 

“I don’t know. Not really, I was told that she would be fine.” After he said that, Ava took off out of the room without another word. Presumably to scare someone out of some information since not only was she Nora’s family, she was the one who employed everyone around here. “Mommy just had a scare okay? She’ll be okay.” He directed all of his attention to his daughter, ignoring the Legends murmuring in the background.

“Can I see her?” Nicole was frowning now. She didn’t really get upset so Ray had no idea what she could do when she didn’t have control of her emotions.

“No you can’t, sweetheart. The doctors, they have to make sure she’s okay somewhere we can’t be. But if everything goes well, we should be able to soon!” Ray tried to explain gently but Nicole started crying. That sound caused everyone else in the room to stop what they were doing because Nicole  _ did not cry,  _ not even when she had to get three stitches at 3 years old. “Hey, hey, come here.” Ray didn’t know how much longer he could keep it together himself when he had to worry about his daughter losing it.

It didn’t take much more than Nicole crying about how she wanted her mommy before he started crying too. Despite fully understanding why they couldn’t see her, it didn’t stop him from secretly wishing he could be there to know what was going on. Make sure she was actually alright and that the medical staff hadn’t lied to him to keep him placated.

Now an hour had fully passed since she had to go to emergency surgery. As of yet, he had no news. But according to Mona, no news was good news. Ray wasn’t so sure about that, he’d rather know right now what was going on with his fiancee than nothing at all. He was lucky they had managed to calm Nicole down at all because she had been hysterical for ten minutes straight until Sara took her to soothe her. Due to her previous babysitting experience, she was successful, and had even gotten Nicole to sleep again.

So that’s where they all were, in a waiting room, hoping for the best but anticipating the worst at this rate. Ava hadn’t even come back from her hunt for information and it was making Ray itch. Where they not telling her? Or  _ had _ they told her and she was avoiding being the one to tell them what was going on? He was getting real tired of the uncertainty. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if she doesn’t make it,” he broke the silence, needing to talk about it and stop holding it in. 

“She will,” Zari chimed in from her spot in the corner of the room. “She’s a Legend and Nora fucking Darhk, she doesn’t die easily.” She ignored the people telling her to watch her language because Nicole was asleep, it wouldn’t matter really what swear words she said right now. “So? Don’t think like that Ray, you can’t.”

“Yeah, Z’s been over here praying. Let us worry for you,” Charlie told them, getting a smack from her girlfriend for that. “Hey! It’s helping my nerves listening to you, I’m quite fond of her too.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Whoever you believe in or don’t, we can all pray because it’s better than sitting here and worrying,” Sara, ever the Captain, suggested. It didn’t take much more than that for them all to go silent again, lost in their own thoughts. 

Nicole woke up after a little bit longer, sliding out of Sara’s lap and walking over to Ray. He picked her up when she made it clear that she wanted to be in his lap. “Daddy?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“Mommy will be okay, right? She promised.”

He still had no idea. “Well, mommy hasn’t broken a promise yet. I say we just have to trust the doctors and that she doesn’t want to leave us and Adam quite yet.” She obviously didn’t like that answer but it was the best he could do when the future was so uncertain right this moment.

Ava had just come back in the room. Maybe he could get some answers now, maybe they could get some answers. She was swarmed by all the Legends simultaneously. “Well?” Sara prompted her to share what she knew.

“She pulled through the surgery. She’s in the ICU sector now, and observation will last for the next 48 hours. They said her outlook is extremely favorable.” They could scarcely believe that until she said, “Nora made it guys.”

Celebration broke out among everyone, and Ray pretty much sagged into the nearest Legend, sobbing in relief that she was alive. Mick awkwardly patted him on the back, looking pleased with the news himself. It was hard to be grumpy when you had a five year old squealing in your ear and a grown man crying tears of joy on your shoulder.

Ava broke it up with, “I can take you up to where she is if you’d like.” 

“Please. What do you think, sweetheart? Wanna go see mommy?” Nicole nodded furiously, reaching up to wipe away some of his tears for him. “Thank you for that but I have a feeling that there is going to be a lot more crying even after we make sure mommy’s okay,” he told her, turning to follow Ava to the elevators.

Nicole didn’t answer him, just nestled further into his arms, and the three of them walked in silence. He took a minute to gather himself while Ava apparently had his daughter’s attention. Ray was excited to see Nora again, they hadn’t really spent this much time apart since before they found out they were having Adam. He was just unsure if he was ready to see her hooked up to a bunch of wires and tubes. Realistically, he knew they were there to help her live easier until she healed up fully and was able to live free of all that stuff, it was just scary to see anyway.

Ava patted him on the back, “I’ll leave you to decide how to do this. She will be okay, Ray, I promise. I’ll be down the hall if you want me to take Nicole so you can see her alone.” And with that, she went down to a small row of chairs stationed at the end and sat down. 

Ray put Nicole down, needing to talk to her before they went in Nora’s room. “Okay, I need you to listen to me sweetheart. Mommy’s going to look a little scary. She’ll have tubes and wires hooked up to her that are helping her, they just look worse than they actually are.”

“I know. Can I hug her?” Nicole looked determined to make sure that her mom was okay personally, wanting to show her she was loved as well, and Ray felt his heart swell with how proud he was of her. It was also funny to think of how afraid Nora was that she wouldn’t be a good mom to Nicole. A year later, Nicole absolutely adored Nora, and vice versa with Nora being the most amazing mother she could possibly be.

“Of course, but be very careful okay?” Ray shook himself slightly to bring himself back to the moment at hand. “I’ll put you on the bed. Can I pick you back up?” he asked, and she raised her arms up for him to carry her, and they moved inside.

Ray had to take a moment, he had been attempting to prepare himself for this but nothing could ever truly prepare him for seeing a loved one lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines with a tube down her throat to help her breathe. He didn’t understand that part, she was fine so why was she intubated? There would have to be a hunt for a doctor here soon. 

But first…

“Okay, remember to be gentle with mommy,” he reminded Nicole before carefully placing her on an empty space next to Nora’s ankles. Ray watched as she crawled up the bed a little, stopping next to her hand and gently holding it as best she could between her own tiny hands. 

Nicole talked on and on about what they were going to do when Nora was better, how she was going to teach Adam how to properly play with blocks when he was bigger. She told Nora about how excited she was to start school and be smart like her mommy and daddy. The one sided conversation flowed to the point of Nicole starting to worry about her waking up.

“Hey, she will wake up, okay? Mommy promised. Why don’t you tell her all about your day with Uncle Nate while I go find a doctor?” Nicole lit up and transitioned into her day with Nate where he took her to a natural history museum and taught her a bunch of new things. Feeling confident that Nicole would take a while, Ray slipped out of the room to see if he could find Dr. Maverick.

It didn’t take more than a minute to find her, and it seemed like she had been looking for him. “Mr. Palmer.” Ray paused, this was the first time he had ever seen her shaken up like this. His worry skyrocketed once again.

“What’s going on, Tara?” He didn’t want formalities right now. He wanted answers on what the hell was going on. Ava had told him Nora was okay, being intubated was definitely  _ not _ okay.

“Ray, look. It was a mix of the attack on the Legends, plus stress, and a hemorrhage that we repaired quickly. She made it through surgery without crashing but Nora came extremely close to doing so, there was a sudden drop in her blood pressure during the surgery. Presumably from the blood loss and stress of giving birth. As far as the oxygen? It’s standard procedure when the patient has almost… not made it.” She looked pained to have even said that last part. “But her vitals coming out of surgery looked extremely good. She makes it alright through the 48 hour observation period and we’ll switch her to a plain mask.”

His back hit the wall behind him, ready to finally collapse from all the feelings and information overwhelming him. “But… she will be okay,” he stated, still unsure even after hearing it several times today.

“The only way I can ease your fears completely is to say give it time. She  _ will _ wake up.”

Ray split his time between visiting Nora and visiting Adam, wanting to spend time with both of them but the newborn wasn’t allowed into the ICU. He told Nora all about their baby whenever he could, telling her how beautiful he was and how hungry he always was. 

How he couldn’t wait for all of them to be home together. 

He wiped tears off his cheeks, having just recounted how scared he was when she fell out… It had been a week already since she had Adam and went under? It felt like even longer, this was a whole nightmare he never wanted to repeat again if he could help it. When Nora woke up, they’d have a talk about kids in the future where he was in favor of never having any more, if only just to avoid this potentially happening again. Ray never wanted her to be in a coma like state like this again, he never wanted to have to be separated from her in order for her life to be saved.

That’s the whole reason he created his ATOM suit. So that he could save people, so he could prevent people from dying. That made him a hero to others, but what good was being a hero when he couldn’t save Nora when she needed him? 

Ray shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his head. No, he couldn’t think that. Real heroes knew when to call on other heroes for help, in his case, the entire medical staff who saved Nora’s life. The staff that took care of Adam when he was with Nora, the ones who moved his bassinet into her recovery room after she had been moved from ICU. The Legends, the wonderful family he had who took turns bringing Nicole in to see them, and took turns watching over everyone when Ray needed to run and clean up or get something to eat.

They were all his heroes.

“Mom called earlier,” he continued talking, voice hoarse from too many tears and too much talking. Ray lifted her hand up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to the back of it before pressing it against his forehead in an almost desperate plea for her to wake up. “She and Syd are making arrangements so they can come in as soon as it’s all settled. I talked to Ava, she said they can come in the hospital since they already know I’m the ATOM and this isn’t their first time seeing things that aren’t “normal.” Of course, Ava also said they better be ready to sign a lot of paperwork if they ever want to see you or Adam.” He chuckled a little at that, knowing Ava was jumping any hoops she had to for them. 

It still amazed him how far they’d all come in terms of their relationships with Nora. Once adversaries and now family, all of them willing to do anything to make sure she was okay and that she was being looked after properly here. Ray didn’t think he’d ever stop being amazed by how wonderful she was with them. “In case I haven't said it lately, I love you Nora, and I can’t wait to marry you.” He pressed another kiss to her hand and squeezed it gently.

What he wasn’t expecting was for his hand to be squeezed  _ back.  _

It felt like he was moving in slow motion as he sat up to look at Nora and found her watching him, her eyes crinkling at the corners with the smile that was on her face. She was  _ awake. Nora was awake. _ Ray started crying again, taking comfort in how now it was both of her hands clutching his. She had tears coming down her face too, no doubt emotional despite having been asleep for the past week. 

But she  _ wasn’t  _ now. He could scarcely believe this was happening, but he’d be damned if he didn’t enjoy this moment. This moment with her awake,  _ alive, _ and where he could lean over her bed and press their foreheads together. Where he could actually have her talk back to him instead of him doing all the talking, trying to fill a sad silence as to not get overwhelmed. 

He got her a little bit of water when she motioned that she could use some, eager to help her any way he could. Ray must have looked like a mad man, sprinting out to the water tank and back in less than two minutes because he couldn’t stand to be away from Nora that long. He didn’t care, the love of his life needed him, and it was something he could easily do for her.

Ray went willingly when Nora motioned him to come closer after he put the cup down on the end table. “Where’s Adam? Nicole?” Her voice was rough from disuse but the sentiment remained clear. She wanted to see her son, wanted to know where her daughter was.

“Once you got out of ICU, they brought him in here. Nicole’s with Charlie and Zari today, they went to the zoo to distract her. I’ll message them and let them know you’re awake.” He sounded awed on that last word, still having a hard time believing it himself. “Adam’s right there, one second and I’ll be back with him!” Ray chirped, hurrying over to the bassinet where Adam was sleeping. He picked him up carefully and brought their son over so Nora could see him with her own two eyes again. 

There were more tears when she did see him, wanting to hold him but not quite strong enough just yet to do it. It was okay though, it was more than enough to see him in his father’s strong arms, still sleeping. Nora was just grateful that everything would be okay, that she  _ was _ okay, and she was even more thrilled that their family had grown by one. Really, there wasn’t much more she could ask for, other than Nicole being here, but she had time.

She had all the time in the world now.

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to @WardenRoot @notabeautifullittlefool and @fvandomtrvsh for all encouraging me, editing and writing with me! I couldn't have gotten this fic done without all of you lovely people.  
> And of course, a big shoutout to the loveliest person in the DA fandom, my friend @MrsNoraPalmer who knows, I am well and truly Darhkatom trash.   
> Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought!


End file.
